[ ♪ theme ♪ ] [ ♪ theme ♪ ] >> bill: good morning everybody. here we go. november 1st. big thursday, november 1st. great to see you today. thank you for joining us and welcome to the "full court press." your new sane morning alternative on current tv. good to be with you this morning and thank you so much for joining us to take a look at the big stories of the day and of course, get involved in the conversation by giving us a call at 1-866-55-press. yes, you probably saw the pictures chris christie and president obama toured the storm-ravaged coast of new jersey yesterday.

christie knows who was there to help when new jersey needed it. so now the big question is christie going to stay with the man he had previously endorsed or will he throw his substantial weight behind president obama? don't hold your breath. okay. we'll get into that and a whole lot more here on the "full court press." first, here she is with a current news update today lisa ferguson out in los angeles. good morning. >> hey bill. good morning everyone. campaign schedules are getting back on track today as romney heads to virginia and president obama has a very busy day ahead of him. first, he starts off the day in green bay, wisconsin for a rescheduled event that he had to cancel tuesday to deal with hurricane sandy. then he is off to nevada, colorado and ohio. yesterday, obama toured the aftermath of hurricane sandy in new jersey along with governor chris christie who had nothing but kind words for the president. >> has worked incredibly closely

with me. i cannot thank the president enough for his personal concern and compassion for our state and for the people of our state. >> the governor has said he has no intention of bringing romney to new jersey to survey the storm's damage. christie aides are denying any sort of rift with the romney campaign saying it is just about dealing with the storm and not about presidential politics. but one of the main political speculations here is that christie thinks romney has no chance of winning and he is setting himself up for a run in 2016. romney has a good cause to be worried if the polls have anything to say about it. president obama is ahead six points in iowa. that's coming from the nbc news "wall street journal" morris poll. the president's also up by three in wisconsin and two in new hampshire. two things helping him out here are early voting and the gender gap. president has a double digit lead with women in all three states and in iowa, he leads with early voters by a full 30 points. more bill press is coming up. stay with us.

(vo) brought to you by metlife. stay tuned for the answer. (vo) brought to you by metlife.

jack you're a little boring. boring. boring. [ jack ] after lauren broke up with me, i went to the citi private pass page and decided to be...not boring. that's how i met marilyn... giada... really good. yes! [ jack ] ...and alicia. ♪ this girl is on fire ♪ [ male announcer ] use any citi® card to get the benefits of private pass. more concerts. more events. more experiences. [ jack ] hey, who's boring now? [ male announcer ] get more access with a citi card. [ crowd cheering, mouse clicks ]

[ ♪ theme ♪ ] >> announcer: broadcasting across the nation on your >> announcer: broadcasting across the nation on your radio and on current tv, this is the "bill press show." >> bill: okay. enough hurricane. enough! that's it! president obama back on the campaign trail today. this is the homestretch folks! good morning, good morning. freight to see you today. -- great to see you today. welcome to the "full court press." what about it? coming to you live all the way across this great land of ours. god bless america! we're coming to you on your

local progressive talk radio station, sirius x.m. this hour only and on current tv all three hours and every nook and cranny and big city of the great country of ours with a lot to talk about a lot happening here in our nation's capital. that's where you'll find us right here on capitol hill in washington, d.c. couldn't be better located. and we'll tell you what's happening here, around the country, around the globe and here's the best part. you get to sound off. we'll take your calls at 1-866-55-press. that is our toll free number. you can join us by phone. you can join us on twitter at bpshow. more and more of you do every day. you can join us on facebook. facebook.com/billpressshow or join in the chat room. all kinds of ways to participate. if you go to current.com and click on the chat room, you will be connected to "full court pressers" all across the land and you can join mini debate

about what we're talking about here on the air. it is a lot of fun! and great to see you this morning. wow, what a day. president obama and chris christie coming back from -- president obama coming back from new jersey. the two of them touring the coast yesterday. we got the team in place. team press. peter ogborn and dan henning. hello, guys. >> hello, there. >> bill: cyprian bowlding our videographer with phil backert ready to take your calls. so halloween halloween everybody survived? >> we survived. let me tell you first of all -- >> bill: did the kids get a lot of loot? >> first of all -- the greatest scam of all when you have kids is daddy has to check this to make sure it is safe because normally you're not supposed to take things from strangers so daddy needs to check it out. daddy needs to get his cut. >> here's the question, peter. how much longer until your older

son catches on to this scam? >> i'm never giving up on this scam. we're going to do this up until the day he stops trick or treating. >> bill: 18. he will be trick or treating -- >> i'm going to make him trick or treat until he's 35 years old. get candy out of this. exactly. so i get my cut. i get to dig out all of the snickers and the butterfinger and the reese's. >> bill: i think that's fair. >> i have a heat seeking missile for those. i grab them. he can have the rest. >> bill: i have to tell you the scene on capitol hill is incredible. east capitol street -- the first year the obamas were in the white house malia and sasha and their grandmother came up here from the white house to east capital street because they had heard that's the best party and it is. it is incredible. everybody is into it. it is festive up and down both sides of the street. everybody is out on their front stoop with their candy and pumpkin and then easter market shuts down, they shut down the whole street.

there were hundreds and hundreds of kids there with their parents, everybody is in costume. they had a horse and wagon taking hayrides. the restaurants along the way they were open for business. but they had set up tables out front. they were giving away coffee, beer hot dogs, burgers brownies, it was incredible. >> wow, that's great. >> bill: such a great scene. little carnival rides for the kids. it was wonderful. then the kids worked the neighborhood. so we actually -- carol keeps count. >> every year i look forward to see because i know you keep count. >> bill: this is a world's record. 141. we ran out of candy last night. yeah. >> what kind of candy do you give? i have to ask or do you even know? >> bill: i was giving away candy. i know there were some snickers bars because i had one of those. [ laughter ] >> bill: she buys the bulk candy. >> as long as you give away stuff like snickers, you're in

good shape. >> bill: there were some reese's peanut buttercups in there. >> nicework. >> bill: a whole collection of different stuff. i grab a couple and put in each bag. >> we got -- we got a bag of doritos which was a first. someone gave the kids a bag of doritos. someone gave the kids a full-size bag of good gummy bears. >> bill: no! >> any king size bars? >> we didn't but we got some full-size hershey and a full-size snickers. let me tell you something that house is the most popular house on the whole route. >> bill: we got the little bars. >> most people do. but you really want to stand out, give a full-size candy bar. >> bill: we didn't give out -- the trick or treating starting yesterday with president obama on air force i going up to atlantic city. got off the plane and did you see that picture? he walked over to chris

christie, put his hand on his back and said hey chris how you doing? hey, buddy my new best boy friend. chris christie says i love me some barack obama. >> he has worked incredibly closely with me since before the storm hit. i think this is our sixth conversation since the weekend. and it's been a great working relationship. >> bill: yes and i love you, barack. barack obama says i love ya back baby. >> obama: governor christie throughout this response has been responsive. he's been aggressive in making sure that the state got out in front of this incredible storm. >> bill: i gotta tell you after this election, after they get out of the way and obama's re-elected and romney is history, you're going to see chris christie at the white house i'll bet you for more than one occasion. >> that sound you're hearing is mitt romney pulling his hair out as he watched that press conference. >> bill: coming up today ben jealous, president of the naacp will be with us.

chris will be here as a "friend of bill." and daniel stone now with "national geographic." >> the triumphant return of the stone! >> bill: we're bringing him back. mitt romney lying through his teeth about g.m. and chrysler! and got caught. but first -- >> this is the "full court press." >> on this thursday, other headlines making news, kelsey grammer raised eyebrows when he and his wife brought their 3-month-old daughter to hugh hefner's halloween party at the playboy mansion. he released a statement after a picture of the baby went viral online. he said his wife is breast-feeding and they don't have a nanny or a trusted baby-sitter. >> bill: 3 years? >> 3 months. daughter faith goes everywhere with them. she was asleep during the whole party. there were not any problems. >> bill: i don't have a problem with that. 3-month-old. come on. as if that baby is going to remember and be traumatized by being at the playboy mansion.

>> the press pool on air force i was caught off-guard yesterday. the president's plane was not stocked with m&ms. the peanut chocolate candy is a regular staple on the aircraft. especially designed white boxes with the white house logo on them. turns out, according to a later press pool report, the president had all of the m&m box rounded up and distributed to kids -- >> chris christie -- >> no. distributed to kids at a new jersey hurricane shelter. took them all off the plane. >> bill: oh, my god. >> you sure chris christie didn't get on air force ?ierks. >> james is settling in nicely with the houston rockets. he was traded from the oklahoma city thunder over the weekend. the deal he's getting $80 million espn reports over five years. the rockets call him a foundational player that will help them get to the playoffs. >> he's got a lot to live up to there. >> bill: thank you dan. yes, indeed. well, you know, let's start out

with the biggest whopper of this campaign. i mean we've seen a lot of big lies coming from the romney campaign. i mean on a lot of different topics right? particularly mitt romney trying to have it both ways or three ways on almost every issue. you never know where he really stands on any issue. the biggest lie of all is this lie in the last couple of days, mitt romney is trying to sell the people of ohio -- it doesn't look like they're buying it. the latest poll shows president obama up five still in ohio. but we know what's going on, right? no doubt about it. president obama is winning ohio. largely because he saved the auto industry and so many -- tens of thousands of jobs in ohio depend on the auto industry. so many families from the auxiliary businesses. in fact, the unemployment rate in ohio is lower than it is nationwide because the auto industry is back. thanks to president obama. g.m. is back making better cars than ever before. chrysler reported an 80%

increase in their number in the third quarter of this year. it's all due to the auto bailout. it is working and mitt romney, we remember, opposed it. he wrote that famous op-ed for "the new york times". headline... let detroit fail. where he said don't do anything to help them out. let them go belly up. so, of course, romney campaign realizes panic panic panic panic, oh, my god we're losing ohio which we need. no republican president in over 100 -- no republican has ever been elected president in over 100 years without carrying ohio. so they're panicking. so the first thing they did was they said -- they realize the reason they're losing is because of romney's position on the auto bailout and because president obama did such a good job on the auto bailout. the first thing that romney says is well, wait, obama just did what i suggested and let them go into bankruptcy. lie. that's the first lie.

no, no no, no. there is a big difference. obama gave them $80 billion in federal help. to go into and come out of bankruptcy. everybody has said economists have said steve ratner who was in charge of the auto bailout has said over and over again if romney's plan had gone through federal government did nothing and they were just left up to the private sector, no bank was going to lend them any money. they were in such bad shape. they would have gone under and never gone out and they would have been gone. america's auto industry would be gone. instead, it's back. a million and a half jobs they figure still for g.m. and chrysler as a result of the auto bailout. jobs brought back. and new jobs. so the first lie didn't work. now romney's out with a second lie which is that having come back, g.m. and chrysler are now going to shut down their plants in ohio and move them to china.

now notice he doesn't say that directly but certainly that's the implication. here is the latest ad just released yesterday. >> barack obama says he saved the auto industry. but for who? ohio? or china? under president obama, g.m. cut 15,000 american jobs but they're planning to double the number of cars built in china which means 15,000 more jobs for china. now comes word that chrysler plans to start making jeeps in -- you guessed it -- china. what happened to the promises made to autoworkers in toledo and throughout ohio? the same hard-working men and women who were told obama's auto bailout would help them. mitt romney grew up in the auto industry. maybe that's why detroit news endorsed him saying romney understands the industry and will shield it from regulators who never tire of churning out new layers of mandates. mitt romney. he'll stand up for the auto

industry. in ohio, not china. >> bill: probably the most dishonest, most cynical most outright blatantly untrue political ad that's ever been produced and right here in the very last week of the campaign. g.m. came out and said big fat lie! chrysler came out and called it crass and misleading. another big fat lie. the truth is they are back in ohio and in indiana and michigan and other states. the truth is they are building better cars and selling more cars. the truth is without taking any jobs away from ohio or other nearby states, g.m. and chrysler both have plans to build new plants, different plants, totally different plants in china to manufacture jeeps for chinese customers. that's part of their business plan. that's not taking jobs away from this country. again, g.m. has said pull down the ad.

it is a lie. chrysler has said pull down the ad. it is a lie. the romney campaign said don't listen to the auto companies they're just whining. "new york times" this morning, lead editorial "romney versus the automakers, he can't admit that the bailout helped so he decide instead to invent problems with it" and vice president joe biden, he was red hot yesterday condemning mitt romney. here he is saying desperation. >> g.m. is back! chrysler is the fastest-growing automaker in the world. what's happened? what's ryan's and romney's response? desperation. desperation. >> bill: yeah and vice president biden, he didn't call it misleading. he didn't call it exaggeration. he called it exactly what it is. >> that's what the ad says. it is an outrageous lie. a lie. a lie that is so deceptive and so blatantly untrue that the

chrysler corporation including the chairman of the board of chrysler, they actually spoke up. they don't want to get involved in presidential politics. but they spoke up. they called it -- i'm going to quote -- "a leap that would be difficult even for professional circus acrobats." [ laughter ] >> bill: it just shows you to what lengths mitt romney will go. say anything, do anything, tell any lie. here's my question to you. do you think it will work? do you think he can get away with it? do you think the american people have it -- they finally can see through the b.s., can see through the lies and will reject mitt romney and his lies and his willingness to just tell people anything to try to get a vote? 1-866-55-press. this is really, really serious and it says a lot about mitt romney. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show."

to miss my show is if that's the only time you can get to a polling place. make sure that voting is your highest priority on election day. besides, you can always dvr my show. of the country. to help you make informed decisions, watch current tv's politically direct lineup. only on current tv. so vote and vote smart.

ónñ you've heard bill's views, now let's hear yours. politically direct means no b.s. just telling you what's going on in politics today. >>at the only on-line forum with a direct line to bill press. >>it's something i've been waiting for a long time. >>join the debate now.

>> announcer: heard around the >> announcer: this is the "full court press." the "bill press show." live on your radio and on current tv. >> bill: hey, president clinton's going to be in ohio today. he'll set the record straight about that auto ad, aisle bate you! 26 minutes after the hour. the "full court press." peter, what you got? >> quick breaking news story. this was just announced. the international olympic committee has announced they're launching an investigation into lance armstrong. he won a bronze medal in 2000 at the olympics and so now they're opening that back up to see if maybe he doped and cheated in

the olympics. more bad news for lance armstrong. >> bill: you know, if you believe in kicking a man while he's down -- >> good grief. >> bill: that's what they're doing to lance armstrong. can they take anymore titles away from him? i don't know. mitt romney says g.m. and chrysler -- president obama just bailed out g.m. and chrysler so he could take the jobs out of ohio and send them to china. liar liar, pants on fire. bruce calling from columbus, ohio. >> caller: hey, bill. how are you? >> bill: go ahead. >> caller: it is incredulous to me that people are still willing to vote for this guy. after everything that's been presented about him i look at my acquaintances and friends and neighbors who have romney signs in their yard and support -- i look at them a little differently because i gave them more credit than that. that they just quietly accept some of the stuff that this guy does. >> bill: maybe in the beginning, right they thought he's a business man. he will be good for us. now that we've seen him and seen

what he's willing to do. how can they stick by this guy? >> i don't understand it. they really give no explanation for it, you know. i don't press it. but i just -- i'm flabbergasted by it. >> bill: i am, too. thanks bruce. john is in chicago. hello, john. what do you say? >> caller: hi, bill, how's it going? you know what? i've been seeing a lot of the pictures they post on facebook and twitter with the captions and lot of my friends said it is like oh, obama is a liar. >> bill: right. >> caller: i'm like are you kidding me? i'll post this is a lie. they just delete it right away. >> bill: well, they don't want to know the truth. because everybody... g.m. chrysler, "new york times," economists, everybody has said mitt romney is lying. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show."

they just want to shut it down and go home. ed is calling from frederick maryland. what do you say, ed? vote on november 6th but just as importantly to take the time to learn about each candidate's stance on the issues that matter to you. to help you make informed decisions, watch current tv's politically direct lineup. only on current tv. vote smart. our democracy depends on an informed electorate.

>> announcer: chatting with you live at current.com/billpress. this is the "bill press show." live on your radio and current tv. >> bill: here we go. 33 minutes after the hour. the "full court press" on a thursday. first day of november. five days from election day. 2012. great to see you today. talking about mitt romney falsely accusing g.m. and chrysler of wanting to shut down plants in ohio and move them to china. president obama he says is responsible for that. "the new york times" this morning saying mr. romney apparently plans to end his race as he began it, playing lowest

common denominator politics, saying anything necessary to achieve power and blithely deceiving voters desperate for clarity and truth. ouch! can he get away with this is the question. 1-866-55-press. back to your calls in just a minute here. but first you may have heard me say i've been fascinating for years about where our family came from. nobody really knew because our grandfather would never say if he knew. but i was able to trace back our ancestors, my roots through my grandfather and i went over to salem, new jersey. looked up the books and found out there were presses there from back as early as 1824 and now, thanks to ancestry.com, i've been able to make the link i've been looking for and link them to press family in latvia and actually came into

philadelphia around the turn of that century. so very exciting for me. i've been having a lot of fun tracing my family roots. suggest you might want to do the same. ancestry.com will help you do that. if you join me today and then try ancestry.com. try ancestry.com. you can start your journey and get two free weeks to make whatever discoveries you can before you have to sign up. visit tryancestry.com. it is important and it's a lot of fun. peter, you got some -- >> i do, indeed. we're tweeting at bpshow at bp show, find us on twitter. we're taking your comments on the romney auto bailout ad that you call the most dishonest political ad. william donahue says romney is such a lying sack of crap with these jeep ads. what's next? ryan is going to say obama was putting razor blades in halloween candy.

dragon heart writes us at bpshow on twitter starting with the comment about the -- on the stump about jeep, the fake relief effort and the auto ad, now christie. mitt romney has cut his own throat. and laurie says romney's just mad he hasn't figured out how to outsource all of ohio's root jobs for -- auto jobs for profit yet. >> bill: if there is anyone who would outsource the jobs, it is mitt romney. we talked to bruce from columbus. dade is joining us. >> caller: how you guys doing? >> bill: is this big lie going over out in ohio? >> caller: i wanted to say actually i was leaning toward romney. then you hear about these auto bailout deceptions and i'm looking at it two different ways. i'm looking at romney saying things, anything for a vote. >> bill: yep. >> caller: i'm also looking at obama saying anything for a vote on certain issues. with romney, it might be more of a deception thing to the public, more desperation.

to where i'm leaning -- it is like i'm trying to balance it out now. >> bill: david look, on this issue, there's not two sides to this issue. obama did the auto bailout. romney opposed it. obama helped g.m. and chrysler. romney said let them go belly up. that's pretty clear. there is a big difference there. i don't know why you're having a hard time with this. >> caller: no. our main thing is jobs. >> bill: yeah. >> caller: i'm talking about both candidates saying things that -- really like obama going against -- his christian values about same-sex marriage and the right to have abortions. he's catering to the woman's vote and the gay vote saying whatever -- saying whatever they want to hear. >> bill: david let me tell you something. there's nothing unchristian about supporting equal rights

for all americans and equal rights for american women. i would say that is a christian value and if -- i think president obama is living up to his christian values by taking those positions. but on the auto industry and that's what we're talking about dude there's no equiv case here. -- equivocation here. there's no false equivalency between mitt romney and barack obama. barack obama saved the auto industry. mitt romney wants to destroy it. he's telling lies about it. if you're voting if jobs is your most important issue and you vote for mitt romney, you're an idiot. doug is calling from santa cruz. >> caller: hi, bill. >> bill: i miss california. what's going on. >> caller: i remember hearing from time to time in san francisco. >> bill: absolutely. what's up? >> caller: i'm looking at two lies and i'm trying to figure out which one is more serious. one lie about a demonstration

and reaction to anti-islamic video in benghazi outside the consulate and i'm looking at this lie about g.m. and chrysler and jeep. and i'm trying to figure out which someone more serious. >> bill: let me help you out. one is a lie and one is not. the intelligence reports read the reports i have, the intelligence reports from on the scene in benghazi at the time of the protests were protestors there told our intelligence officers they were reacting to the protests in cairo which were directly triggered by that video. now, there was more to it than that. but at the time, what they reported was exactly what they were told by protestors on the scene. that was not a lie. that was what they were told. they were the intelligence reports from the c.i.a. okay? >> wasn't that a talking point from the c.i.a.? >> bill: no, they weren't talking points from the c.i.a. didn't you hear me?

they were intelligence reports from the field. now, look, they turned out to be not totally accurate. there was more to it than that at the time, that's what they were told. that is no comparison to the lie that mitt romney is telling that g.m. and chrysler, dude, have come out and said are total lies. >> they seem to be corroborating the lie. >> bill: who? >> the companies. >> bill: hey doug, get the hell out of here. >> see ya later doug. >> bill: have a cup of coffee. wake up. they're not corroborating the lie. they are calling it out! they're calling mitt romney a liar. don't you get it? g.m. and chrysler said there's no truth to what mitt romney is saying. what's so difficult about this? mack calling from redding pennsylvania. hi mack. >> caller: hi, bill. glad to hear ya. where did you get the last two guys from? >> bill: i don't know either.

>> caller: i remember a quote from years ago. people say would you buy a used car from this man. do you remember that one? >> bill: of course. >> caller: i would like to hear that more. this guy mitt. you can't believe a word he says! >> bill: you really can't because almost on every issue right, i know this is a little tangent here but we've been talking a lot about the hurricane. last year, he said he would get rid of fema and turn disaster relief over to the states, right? now, that came back to bite him in the ass this week because of hurricane sandy. so now romney is saying no. i wouldn't get rid of fema. no. i mean he just says anything, right? talks out of both sides of his mouth all the time. on this issue he's doing the same thing. >> these days, especially, you know. you just can't b.s. like that. you can't have -- we have the tape. we know what he said. people keep better notes than they used to. we have the quotes. we have the video.

we have the audio. he's on tape contradicting himself dozens of times. >> bill: mack, it is one thing for president obama to say -- that's not true what mitt romney is saying but when the head of g.m. and the head of chrysler get involved, right and feel that they have to come out and to tell people it is a lie i think that's -- i think that settles the case, don't you think? >> caller: it does. >> bill: mack, good to talk to you, my friend. thank you. also in pennsylvania from media pennsylvania hi, gina, good morning. >> caller: how are you? the last two callers oh, my goodness. the whole benghazi thing what republicans are doing is absolutely outrageous. >> bill: i know. >> caller: common sense. in a murder case, the police get information. they may get a suspect. they may think it is this guy or that guy. it takes time after the investigation has gone on to get to the right person. so think about it in those layman terms.

>> bill: that's a good analogy. >> also, i'm here in media. i'm just off of work. i'm heading to the office. the republicans are hitting hard the super pacs in pennsylvania. the ads are nonsense. >> bill: that's what i've heard. they think they can turn pennsylvania around, gina. again, i think this is fanciful thinking on mitt romney's part. you know what i think it means? really? that neighboring ohio, they know they've lost and so they're saying okay, well we ain't going to do ohio. so let's see if we can steal pennsylvania. i don't think that's going to work either. by the way, as you know, gina, there are a lot of jobs in pennsylvania that are dependent on the auto industry as well. and have come back thanks to barack obama. when we come back, we're going to jump on the campaign trail talk to reed wilson from hot line who's out there with mitt romney. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show."

only on current tv. take the time to learn about the issues. don't just vote, vote smart.

(vo) she gets the comedians laughing and the thinkers thinking. >>ok, so there's wiggle room in the ten commandments, that's what you're saying. (vo) she's joy behar. >>current will let me say anything.

>> announcer: radio meets >> announcer: radio meets television. the "bill press show." now on current tv. >> bill: you bet. 13 minutes before the top of the hour. the "full court press" brought to you today by the american federation of teachers. good men and women of the aft under president randy weingarten making the difference in the classrooms of america. you know they are. you can follow their good work at aft.org. simple. aft.org. peter, what's up? >> bill, you have your work cut out for you today. as somebody noticed we're tweeting at bp show. bill w points in all of the nuts

are falling from the tree this morning, bill! in reference to the couple of callers we had in the last segment. >> bill: why do they have to fall from the tree on the same day? >> maybe it is you. mr. john john writes in on twitter, at this point, romney is the lyingest lier that ever lied at lying in response to our post about the jeep ad. we're tweeting at bpshow. >> bill: i think we have a new rule right. seriously. anybody who mentions benghazi, right, is a plant. is a republican plant. anybody who brings it up. nonissue. but republicans are really, really, really trying to keep it alive. >> it is brought up in the weirdest of contexts. you know. >> bill: let's go back on the campaign trail. one person who's been following it very closely joining us often, reed wilson is the editor in chief of hot line, hard at work already this morning. reed, how you doing? >> speaking of nuts falling off the tree, it is a little early.

by the way a quick point about the benghazi thing. i was on c-span yesterday. the callers there were -- boy sounds like you guys had a couple of the same callers did i. >> bill: yeah. >> as more and more republicans will say -- i just -- about benghazi. "new york times" has been covering it pretty closely. they've got good stuff. >> bill: if you read the stuff and you read the intelligence reports, right, it was -- it is sort of like a fog of war situation but intelligence grew, right and changed over time. >> i think "the new york times" has done some -- beyond sort of the political implications. got some stuff about what was happening on the ground. fascinating to read. >> bill: similar c-span experience on with ron owens in san francisco for an hour the other day right. and suddenly here come the benghazi calls. you could tell they were all sort of programmed. but reid, here we go.

president and romney back on the campaign trail. it is the homestretch. >> we're starting to hear some stories, reports about what they're going to do. their last weekend fly-around. stops are being scheduled. romney will be in florida and virginia over the weekend. of course, those are just the first two stops you know, of many we'll see. >> bill: they'll be going to the same states but at different times. president obama leaves today. wisconsin then back to las vegas and then into colorado and he ends up in ohio tonight. >> a lot of miles on air force i. >> bill: president clinton is in ohio today. i think he has four different events in ohio. but this race is, even with the battleground states, where president obama seems to have an edge, it is pretty tight isn't it? >> i think it is. there is still an opportunity for something to change. however, i believe it is fair to say that president obama is

ahead significantly at the moment. i say significantly. i don't mean ten points but i mean 2 points in ohio and a couple of points in new hampshire and wisconsin and michigan pennsylvania, you know. the states that romney started to go into and the republicans started to go into yesterday states like minnesota and wisconsin. sorry, minnesota michigan and pennsylvania. i think that's more of a move of -- i don't want to say desperation but an effort to find new ways to get to 270 rather than a real effort to expand the map. because if we're still talking about ohio as the one state that no republican has ever won the white house without winning mitt romney is behind in ohio. we have not seen a survey that has showed him ahead aside from a rasmussen poll and i can go on a separate rant about how i dislike rasmussen. we haven't seen him ahead in a nonrasmussen poll since the beginning of the month. there were a couple of robo polls that only showed him up one.

>> bill: right. that gets to the -- that gets to the auto bailout. you have seen "the new york times" editorial this morning. g.m. and chrysler, it is not just the politicians or the democrats, not just joe biden and barack obama saying romney is not telling the truth about the jeep plans in ohio. g.m. -- for the head of g.m. and chrysler to come out and say this is a lie is pretty unusual isn't it? >> it is generally not something you want in the final week before voting. the heads two of major corporations coming out especially if you're a republican, by the way, to be on sort of the wrong side of that. but you know, that has been the key to president obama's success both in ohio and in michigan. some of the voters -- >> bill: pennsylvania, too. >> exactly. and by the way the voters with whom president obama has the most problems, that is sort of the white working class voters who he's never really gotten along with, they're actually the voters propelling him to this win -- or this lead at least in ohio. in those upper northwestern

counties between about toledo and cleveland. that's where the auto jobs are. they're the voters who are bending his way. >> bill: i know -- i just have to ask you this. i know you have enjoyed, as we have, the new best boyfriend of chris christie. and politics makes strange bed fell toe lows as we say. -- bedfellows. >> we're going to see ramifications of this if christie runs in 2016. he's the guy a couple of days before election day embraced president obama. if i had an extra reporter right now who i could send somewhere to do something, i would go find a bunch of republicans who -- ask them what they think about chris christie talking -- so nicely about president obama just a few days before the election. it seemed to me -- i sat there i tweeted this right as i was watching the press conference yesterday, it seemed like christie was standing there waiting for obama to give him a line that he can use in his

re-elect ad in 2013 and he did. hey, chris christie is doing a pretty good job. that will show up in an ad. >> bill: when you start with that start with mitt romney. reid wilson, love him. editor in chief of the hot line. we'll be right back.

♪ just put a little bit of yourself ♪ ♪ in everything you do ♪ [ female announcer ] add your own ingredients to hamburger helper for a fresh take on a quick, delicious meal. it's one box with hundreds of possibilities. [ woman ] ring. ring. progresso. in what world do potatoes, bacon and cheese add up to 100 calories? your world. ♪ ♪ [ whispers ] real bacon... creamy cheese... 100 calories... [ chef ] ma'am [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. [ male announcer ] red lobster's hitting the streets to tell real people about our new 15 under $15 menu. oh my goodness! oh my gosh this looks amazing! that's a good deal! [ man ] wow! it is so good! [ male announcer ] our new maine stays! 15 entrees under $15 seafood, chicken and more! oo! the tilapia with roasted vegetables! i'm actually looking at the wood grilled chicken with portobello wine sauce. you so fascinated by the prices, you keep rambling on! i know! -that pork chop was great! -no more fast food friday's! so we gotta go! we're going to go to red lobster. yep. [ male announcer ] try our 15 under $15 menu and sea food differently!

ññvv

ut i'm sorry. they guy has flipped mattress. (vo) so we gave him a weekly show. >> thank you. [ ♪ theme ♪ ] >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." >> bill: hey here we go. three minutes now before the top of the hour. chris in studio as a "friend of bill" in the next hour. if you want to know what the key swing states are in this presidential election, just follow president obama around today. he leaves the white house this morning back on the campaign

trail heading for wisconsin. gotta nail that one down. big campaign event in green bay wisconsin. then on the plane again to las vegas. nevada. gotta nail that one down. leaves las vegas this afternoon. this evening. goes right to denver, colorado. big event in denver, colorado. and surprise, surprise, leaves denver and heads off to... ohio! columbus ohio. he will spend the night in columbus, ohio and start there tomorrow morning with a whole series of campaign events. i have a feeling that -- let's see -- ohio tomorrow and then on to -- i'll bet you florida virginia new hampshire. we could track this ourselves and then he'll do the round probably one more time. >> because he can. >> bill: go, obama! >> announcer: this is the "bill press show."

[ ♪ theme ♪ ] >> bill: hey, good morning everybody. welcome to the "full court press" this thursday, november 1st. good to see you today. and here we are with your new sane alternative in the morning. the only progressive morning show anywhere on television. cable television or network television. we've got lots to talk about including the fact that president obama and governor chris christie toured the storm-ravaged parts of the new jersey coast yesterday. and chris christie certainly knows that he needs a lot of help in new jersey and he knows where the help is coming from. it is coming from the federal

government. coming from president obama. no help coming from mitt romney. so the big question is will chris christie stay with the person he already endorsed or might he throw his substantial weight behind barack obama? speculation about that and a whole lot more. here we go with today's current news update. lisa ferguson's got it out in los angeles. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. let's take a quick look at the polls in terms of the senate race this season. republicans are hoping to win over the balance of power and suggest that down a ballot voting could help their cause. virtually every polling a regularater shows that's not likely, even if romney does win the presidency. nate silver's 538 blog gives democrats a 98% chance of winning the majority and talking points memo forecasts the democrats should lose just one seat come november 6th. that is bad news for the republican agenda.

without a senate majority, they cannot control the budget process and have little hope of repealing the affordable care act. but romney still could do damage on the supreme court and is likely to appoint young conservative justices if he gets the chance. frankly no matter who wins the white house is faced with a mess come next week. not only with the divided congress but also with a budget stalemate, the threat of another recession and conflict in the middle east. and yes it is happening again. another g.o.p. male candidate making an offensive comment about race. this comes from john koster running for congress in washington. what he said at a fund-raiser over the weekend. we are going to bring up that text for you right now. he said incest is so rare, i mean but the rape thing, i know a woman who was rave and kept her child, gave it up for adoption and she doesn't regret it. that was to justify his position not allowing abortion in the case of rape or incest. we'll be right back.

[ male announcer ] this is karen and jeremiah. they don't know it yet but they're gonna fall in love get married, have a couple of kids, [ children laughing ] move to the country, and live a long, happy life together where they almost never fight about money. [ dog barks ] because right after they get married they'll find some retirement people who are paid on salary not commission. they'll get straightforward guidance and be able to focus on other things, like each other, which isn't rocket science. it's just common sense.

from td ameritrade. [ ♪ theme ♪ ] >> announcer: broadcasting across the nation on your radio >> announcer: broadcasting across the nation on your radio and on current tv. this is the "bill press show." >> bill: all right. we have add. we don't want to talk about the hurricane anymore. we've talked about it for two days. that's enough. now we're back in campaign mode. president obama and mitt romney both back on the campaign trail today. good morning everybody. afterall, it is a new month. november 1st on this thursday morning. good to see you today. thank you for joining us. the "full court press" booming out to you live from our nation's capital. our studio on capitol hill. we're coming out to you on current tv. of course and on your local

progressive talk radio station. you can be a part of the conversation in many different ways. give us a call at 1-866-55-press. follow us on twitter at bp show. go to facebook. facebook.com/billpressshow or go to our chat room. current.com, click on the chat room. you're in to talk about the issues with your fellow progressives across the land. and today i mean you're -- your lucky day. you get chris kofinis. >> wow! >> bill: the greek god himself. >> very small sample of god -- >> bill: greece is known for having a lot of things. >> right now greece is known for not being able to do math. we created math. we just wanted to be able to follow through on it. we had a good run. first through centuries was good. >> bill: i think the arabs created math.

>> hey, let's not get crazy. i'll get my dad on this phone right now. >> bill: peter ogborn and dan henning. >> good morning. >> with cyprian bowlding our videographer gets the big wave. we don't let him talk. so joe biden uncle joe. >> uncle joe. i have a couple of uncles like joe. >> bill: let joe be joe. i think he is at his best when he's just -- they let biden be biden. he was out yesterday on the campaign trail and this latest auto ad that mitt romney has put up claiming that g.m. and chrysler, which they say is a big lie, are going to send their jobs from ohio to china. >> right. >> bill: joe biden ripped them yesterday. >> that's what the ad says. it is an outrageous lie. a lie. a lie that is so deceptive and so blatantly untrue that the chrysler corporation, including the chairman of the board of

chrysler, they actually spoke up. they don't want to get involved in presidential politics. but they spoke up. they called -- i want to quote "a leap that would be difficult even for professional circus acrobats." >> i love the emphasis. circus acrobats! >> bill: outrageous lie. he just says it is a lie. doesn't say it is a misrepresentation or -- >> why pull punches? >> bill: by the way, it is a lie. >> right. >> bill: g.m. and chrysler, have you ever seen head of major corporations come out and get involved? >> not in an election. >> bill: no. romney doesn't care. >> no. because right now, they have a major problem. that major problem is a four letter word, it is called ohio. and unless that fire wall breaks for the president it's really difficult to see them winning

this election. >> bill: yeah. so chris kofinis here for the whole hour as a "friend of bill." we'll take your calls and we're going to be joined by ben jealous, the president of the naacp a little bit later in the hour. chris, we've got a lot to cover but first -- big stories of the day. >> other headlines making news on this thursday, the human rights campaign has been working hard to legalize same-sex marriage and it just received a big boost from a hollywood heavyweight. the hill reports brad pitt is matching up to $100,000 in donations to help fight for gay marriage in states like maryland, maine, minnesota and washington. the actor once said he and angelina jolie would not marry until everyone could but they have since changed that stance for the sake of their kids. >> brad pitt's coffee money. >> bill: good for him. >> good for him. >> bill: four measures on the ballot. three which would affirm same-sex marriage and in minnesota would ban it.

>> if things with angelina jolie were going better, don't you think he would put a million in? >> good point. >> the press pool on air force i was caught off-guard yesterday. the president's plane was not stocked with m&ms. the peanut chocolate candy -- >> bill: part of the press pool. if you don't have m&ms, baby -- >> they're a regular staple on the aircraft and especially designed white boxes with the white house logo on them. it turns out the president had all of the m&m boxes rounded up and distributed to kids at a new jersey hurricane shelter. >> bill: oh, all right. by the way isn't it noon today the deadline for him to release his passport records? >> it is. >> donald trump. noon today. >> that was big news. >> an amputee is hope to make history by being the first person to climb chicago's willis tower with a bionic leg. cbs reports zack who lost a leg in a motorcycle accident has been fitted with a new leg that responds to his thoughts working

off of electrical pulses -- >> i'm sorry. is this story from the future? controlling a leg with his thoughts? >> works off of electrical impulses coming from muscles in his hamstrings. when he thinks climb the leg kicks into action. hopefully it will go up all 103 stories of the willis tower. he's a test pilot. the technology has never been used before. >> is there new and innovative ways to make people like me look lazar? i'm serious. i think it is an incredible story. i applaud this man. but i'm not going to climb it with two good legs. it makes me look bad. >> bill: i don't want to dump on this guy but i wish him well. but you know if you're given a new prosthetic leg and you have a new lease on life, you are going to climb a 103 story building and fall to your death? >> i'm going to vegas and dancing until 4:00 a.m. >> bill: thank you. >> after he's done climbing --

>> here's the kicker. >> please! [ laughter ] >> excuse me, everybody. after he's done climbing -- [ laughter ] >> i want to enter the ass kicking contest i've always wanted to enter. >> after he's done climbing, he doesn't get to keep the leg. >> what? come on! >> no! [ laughter ] >> he has too give it back to the researchers so they can fine tune it. this is an experiment and he's their test dummy. >> come on. that's wrong! >> this is wrong. >> bill: he deserves to have the leg right? but again what are you going to do? maybe you could like walk from l.a. to san francisco? i can think of other things but climbing a 133-story building. >> without a net. >> no, no, no. he's going up the stairs. he's not climbing the building on the outside. >> bill!

>> hello! >> bill: give him his leg back. >> to be fair, i might die if i tried going up 103 flights of stairs. >> i get tired going up three elevator levels. >> bill: all right. om, let's come back to reality. chris, i would love to get your response to the obama campaign released a new ad this morning. they -- building off the recent news. this is an ad they'll be running a lot of this weekend. i want you to listen to it and get your take. >> the administration, the president himself and fema administrator craig fugate have been outstanding with us so far. very proactive and i appreciate that type of leadership. and i appreciate the president's cell phone call. and if we do need something i've got the number and i'll be sure to use it. i want to thank the president

personally for his personal attention to this. >> obama: i'm barack obama and i approve this message. >> that's at not an ad. >> has someone lost their minds at the obama campaign. >> bill: pretty good though. >> pretty funny. chris christie, obama surrogate. mitt romney clone. >> bill: don't you think christie is doing what he ought to be doing? >> from his own political -- of course. when a crisis like this happens it is terrible. you see the damage. >> bill: new jersey got the brunt of it. >> if you're a governor and you come across in any way shape or form as political you might as well pack up and go home. he's doing his job. and has more or less made it very difficult for any democrat to attack christie in the future. who knows what will happen. but in terms of what he's doing right now he's doing what he has to do and the president is doing what his job is in times

like this. >> bill: we've talked about the death and the destruction in new jersey, in new york, in connecticut. delaware. 14 states impacted. also a political element of the storm you can't ignore which is that for four or five days, this is all the media talked about. they had a suspended campaign. interrupted early polling and the president is out there talking fema, hurricanes. so if anybody benefitted politically from this hiatus -- >> i think what was happening -- >> bill: would it be obama or romney? >> you would have to say obama. if you look it's think where the dynamics of the race were before the hurricane, mitt romney had i would say, mild momentum. not big. >> bill: not a surge. seemed to be trending -- >> you've had this crazy schism in the national between national and state polls which continues which i've never seen before to this extent. >> bill: i haven't either. >> putting that aside, you had

mild momentum for romney. hurricane happens and it stops. literally dead cold. and what you've seen, i think i think we'll get a better idea in the next few days in terms of some of the national polls. more so than even the state polls. whether it comes back by the weekend. my guess is it won't. what's happened here is when something like this happens and it is so profound, you're talking about multiple states, devastating damage from new hampshire all the way down in some places to north carolina and as far east as ohio. and that automatically makes people think that the federal government needs to have a role. >> bill: yes. >> i'm not saying people think like this in -- political way but it makes them understand that you need a strong president and you need a president who understands the role of the government in times of cries is i which kind of more or less contradicts romney's whole philosophy that you don't really need a federal government to do much and i think that is also, i think, undercut romney's argument. the other part i would say that's happening, i've been

looking at a lot of the poll data -- >> bill: interrupt you for a second on that point. my column today which will be posted later today is on that very point. hurricane sandy does, i think underscore the key difference between obama and romney. in terms of role of the federal government. not to do everything but there are certain things the federal government has to do, disaster relief is one of them. and i think healthcare is, too. >> i think in terms of crisis, especially when it comes to natural disasters you really have to be extreme to believe that we do not need a role for the federal government. >> bill: or that you leave it up to 50 states and they can handle it. >> it is impossible. louisiana could not have handled katrina. let's be honest. new jersey could not have handled this by itself. >> bill: right. >> that's just a fact. >> bill: joe courtney told us vid from connecticut, the wealthiest per capita state in the nation. he said we cannot handle this storm rebuilding without fema. >> right.

so i think when you look at that that's definitely a shift of the dynamics. the other part is people have mildly started feeling better about the economy. it is not -- you still have the wrong track -- right track numbers which are upside down in negative way. but they -- they're not -- we're not talking about the margins that they used to have which were in some cases like 30 plus points. now they're down to in some cases 10 points or so. that is, again, people feeling better about where the economy is today as well as where the economy is going. that's something that's helping the president. that's why i think a lot of -- a lot of people will be focusing on this job number on friday. how does this job number -- does it feed a romney narrative or does it feed an obama narrative. >> bill: despite by the way the claims by some republicans that this was all a conspiracy to shut the federal government down for two days, part of the conspiracy to delay the jobs numbers so they would not come out on friday. the labor department has

announced in fact the job numbers will -- >> if the president can create hurricanes i'm really -- you know, i'm scared and impressed in a weird way. >> bill: job numbers will come out at 8:30 east coast time tomorrow morning. so 2012, we haven't talked about the auto ad yet but the impact of hurricane sandy on this election. chris kofinis is our guest. democratic strategist. your calls welcome at 1-866-55-press. and your twitter comments at bpshow. we'll be right back. >> announcer: chatting with you live at current.com/billpress. this is the "bill press show" live on your radio and current tv. successful democracy depended on an informed electorate. our country's future depends on you. to help you make informed decisions, watch current tv's politically direct lineup.

only on current tv. take the time to learn about the issues. don't just vote, vote smart.

current tv, it's been all building up to this. >>bill shares his views, now it's your turn. >>i know you're going to want to weigh in on these issues. >>connect with "full court press with bill press" at facebook.com/billpressshow and on twitter at bpshow. >>i believe people are hungry for it.

>> announcer: mitt romney. he'll stand up for the auto industry. in ohio, not china. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." ibm 25 minutes after the hour. chris kofinis democratic strategist here as a "friend of bill." that was a little clip from the latest romney ad. claiming that president obama wants to shut down jeep plants in ohio and move them all to china. before we get to that, chris peter -- >> breaking news story. nbc has announced they're putting together a concert that is going to air at 8:00 tomorrow night that will benefit new york and new jersey and the victims of sandy. they've already confirmed they have bruce springsteen billy joel, john bon jovi, all noted names from that area, also sting and christina aguilera. >> chris kofinis. >> he will not be in attendance. >> bill: performing. it is okay if he attends. >> you can probably go. sorry. so it is going to be at 8:00

tomorrow night. only nbc doing it. they're going to put it on their sister networks like msnbc and cnbc and they're giving other networks the option to carry it as well. >> bill: where? >> i'm not sure where. the details are still coming up. you can watch it on tv. >> bill: they have to have a venue. it is not in the studio. is it before a big audience? >> yeah. >> bill: they're going to make money on it. >> they'll have a situation where you can call in and donate on tv. >> bill: they can't have it on madison square garden because they don't have power unless power is back. >> you remember after 9-11, they did the big thing in the studios and then people could just call in their donations. it will probably be something like that. >> bill: peter, thank you. chris, we know -- let's just -- assert, we know this romney ad is phony. g.m. has said it's phony. chrysler has said it's phony. how can romney get away with it? >> he can get away with it because what he's counting on is

most people will read fact checks of ads. that's the reality. >> bill: and they won't. >> most people won't. and what they're counting on, especially i think where they're probably having -- they're doing not as well as they thought is in some of the more kind of urban areas and suburban areas of ohio where they thought they would be doing better especially in the north part of ohio where you have a lot of the auto industry jobs -- >> bill: directly related. >> they're trying. they need to weaken that going into the election. this was an ad to a large degree, i think out of this desperation that they keep hitting this wall in ohio. over the last -- i think ten polls out of ohio, one has shown him in the lead. >> bill: that was rasmussen. the other ones have showed -- some have showed a tie. most have showed from two to five points. >> bill: let's get rich

involved because he's from the area you're talking about. youngstown ohio. hi rich. >> caller: great to talk to you. >> bill: what's your point? what's going on there? >> it's just like everybody's reporting. we're just going deluged with ads. i mean my god! it's endless here. it is mind-numbing! i can't wait until tuesday is over! and i think most people -- we have cell phones. we don't have a land line in the home. everybody has cells so we don't get the robo calls but people i work with, they're getting seven and eight calls at the dinner hour! >> bill: oh, yeah. rich, that's why you need -- caller i.d. we've got that at home. >> shoot your tv. >> bill: all i can say is it all will be over in five days. >> thank goodness. >> bill: ben jealous from the naacp coming up.

to miss my show is if that's the only time you can get to a polling place. make sure that voting is your highest priority on election day. besides, you can always dvr my show. you really cant' dvr the future of the country. to help you make informed decisions, watch current tv's politically direct lineup. only on current tv. so vote and vote smart.

>> announcer: this is the "full court press." the "bill press show." live on your radio and on current tv. >> bill: here we are. on this thursday, november 1st. the "full court press." coming to you from our nation's capital and brought to you live by afscme. good men and women of afscme, the largest public and employee public healthcare worker's union. for more information about their good work under president lee saunders, i was up in new york with the good men and women of d.c. 37. go to afscme.org. chris kofinis in studio with us as a "friend of bill." peter, what have you got?

>> we're tweeting at bpshow at bpshow. first of all on sandy we talked a little bit about christie and barack obama appearing together. a friend on twitter says president obama has worked hard for all americans since day one. we can see it more clearly now because of his response to hurricane sandy. on the bailout ad that we have out there that mitt romney is trying to push this dishonest ad eric oppenheimer says is romney so conceded he think he doesn't have to be held accountable for what he says? >> bill: yes. >> apparently he is because he is running this ad. >> aria writes even if obama walked on water or turned water into wine, the right wing would still talk down to him. >> i don't know about that. if you can turn water into wine, that would be -- >> pretty impressive. >> bill: he wouldn't be the first. [ laughter ] >> bill: we are five days from election day and chris as you know, one of the big issues, real issues, not just imagined

issue, attempts by republicans a lot of it fueled and funded by the koch brothers to suppress the vote in state after state after state after state the naacp has been very involved in efforts to stop these voter suppression efforts from the beginning. they've now teamed up with the nea. president dennis van roekel, good friend of the program, on a measure to make sure that people know what the rules are and get out and vote. the president of the naacp our good friend ben jealous joins us on our news line this morning. hi ben, good morning. good to talk to you. >> hey bill. it is good to be back. >> bill: let me ask you so you know, some of the laws have been challenged. some have not. today, five days out, how serious is this problem of voter suppression? >> you know, it's real. we've seen more states pass more laws in the past year or so.

pushing more voters out of the ballot box than we've seen in a year in the past century. we've seen a shift. in 2000, they broke the law to suppress the vote. this year, they're using the law to suppress it. >> bill: hmm. yeah. this takes us back not to the poll tax but to some things that resemble it. >> that's precisely right. let's keep in mind, back then, they said look, we had to have a poll tax because a man who couldn't afford to pay the poll tax -- his vote could be bought. they said we had to exclude women from voting because each man -- who was married would have two votes. i think probably reversing the reality inside of most homes. so they always have a -- so-called reason for doing this. this time, they're saying look, we've gotta have strict photo

i.d. because the reality is that people could impersonate voters. well, the reality is that people don't. you know in pennsylvania, we took them into court and the state was forced to admit on the stand that no -- no one had ever prosecuted anybody of voter fraud. they never even investigated a case. there was no credible complaint in the history of the state. we've seen this in state after state. my favorite was in south carolina where governor haley got all over the front pages of the state saying we found 900 dead people who voted. i'm asking the state board of elections to go investigate. well, she probably should have asked them to investigate before she made that announcement because they went and investigate and they came back and he they came back and said we couldn't find dead people who voted. she said why not? because they're dead. dead people can't vote. so it is just -- >> that's true. dead people can't vote.

>> so what you get stuck with, bill, these laws weren't put in place to solve a problem because there's no problem. they were put in place like the poll tax like the ban against women to be a problem. >> bill: yeah. that's what i was going to ask you next. to what extent, what is the evidence or chris maybe you have some, what is the evidence of voter fraud in this country that's so serious that you have to have laws in like 23 states? >> there isn't any. not that i've ever seen. you have rare examples where -- this may happen, sure. is this kind of the plague that republicans want to suggest it is? no. it's really simple. this has always been a battle between turnouts. republicans believe that if you have lower turnout they do better. democrats believe you know, strangely in this process that if you have more people come out, they exercise their democratic rights it starks a good thing. that happens to be better for democrats so this is why -- >> bill: i don't know if it is

better for democracy. >> i agree. you have this motivation by some republicans to go out there and try to find new laws and new barriers to making voting more difficult. i think it is really that simple. >> and bill, last point is the most important one which is that some republicans notably the ones who are most easily influenced by extremists. you have had some. it is important not to lose sight of this like bob mcdonnell in virginia who has stood up and said to their assembly and senate, don't even bring me this strict -- this strict voter i.d. b.s., you even have one snyder in michigan, who when they still brought it to him turned around and vetoed the bill. that's important because we've got ta get back to a place where democrat small d is a bipartisan thing. >> bill: excellent point. so you mentioned the voter i.d. one of the other ways in which they've tried to really suppress the vote is curtailing early

voting. now, they tried it. but hurricane sandy did a little bit of that, too. of course, you can't do anything about a natural disaster. have you any figures on problems because of early voting being suspended as a result of the hurricane? >> this is a real moving target because, of course, it is coming back online to the state by state and then damage is being assessed. people are starting to figure out when people might be able to get back. the beauty about having early voting is it does make the process more -- elastic. so therefore people can still catch up. if they get back and they take the time to vote. i think in some ways, this hurricane is a great reminder of the power of -- and the importance of people having several days to vote. so that they can actually accommodate some sudden change

in their life whether it is on a massive scale like this or it is just their car breaks down. >> bill: yeah, chris again early voting to me makes so much sense because you cannot guarantee for -- i was talking to some of the sheet metalworkers yesterday. over at their office. their guys get a job right? they're in northern indiana. they might get a job in southern indiana. 60 miles away. they won't be able to get down there and back and necessarily vote when you only have one day between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. to vote. >> it is a fact. if you're talking about people -- like my father, my father worked 364 days a year. the only day he got off was usually christmas. if you're talking about working class, immigrant communities you know, lower middle class folks that work literally day to day and sometimes two three jobs, you know, getting off on election day is not an easy thing to do! so the more time you give them, the more chance they have to actually exercise their right.

that's not a bad thing by the way. that's a good thing. that's the whole point of the country. that's the whole point of why we are democracy. it is very odd and i think very counterproductive for republicans who think they're going to create a party that's going to appeal to a broader stream. for them to have this type of messaging. it is a party stuck in a time warp. and when they talk about this, let alone when they talk about reproductive rights or gay marriage, it is -- people look at them and they say you know what? how can we trust you to lead this country when it seems you want to lead us back into another era that we don't want to be in. >> bill: 20th century if not the 19th. the most important question to ben jealous as president of the naacp, now that you've teamed up with the nea, what are the two organizations trying to accomplish in the next five days? >> what we are focused on is getting folks turned out to vote. we're calling people across the country. we're knocking on doors. we have volunteers who are doing

calls from their homes. we have phone banks set up. these are two groups that have hundreds and hundreds of thousands of -- have hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people coast-to-coast who see themselves as naacp members. as nea members. when they work together, then they see themselves as what they truly are which is one common movement to protect democracy in this country. >> bill: and to get out the vote. that grassroots operation can indeed, make a difference. ben jealous, you got a lot of work to do. let's get back at it today. thank you for joining us here on the "full court press." >> thanks, bill. one quick thing. >> bill: go ahead. >> this year we have signed up more than 450,000 people to vote which is over three and a half times more than we did back in 2008. >> bill: wow! mozelle tov. that's great. naacp.org by the way. that voter registration.

it is key. let's talk about how important a grassroots operation is when we come back. chris kofinis, "friend of bill." we'll be right back. >> announcer: heard around the country and seen on current tv, this is the "bill press show." only on current tv. vote smart. our democracy depends on an informed electorate. vote on november 6th but just as importantly to take the time to learn about each candidate's stance on the issues that matter to you. to help you make informed decisions, watch current tv's politically direct lineup. only on current tv. vote smart. our democracy depends on an informed electorate.

rich, chewy caramel rolled up in smooth milk chocolate. don't forget about that payroll meeting. rolo.get your smooth on. also in minis. where you don't back down from a challenge. this is the age of knowing how to make things happen. so, why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. 20 million men already have. ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing upset stomach, and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. this is the age of taking action. viagra. talk to your doctor.

(vo) she gets the comedians laughing and the thinkers thinking. >>ok, so there's wiggle room in the ten commandments, that's what you're saying. (vo) she's joy behar. >>current will let me say anything. >> announcer: radio meets television the "bill press show" now on current tv. >> bill: here we go. 13 minutes before the top of the hour. we're talking 2012 and take a look at those national tracking polls and the important battleground state polls with

chris kofinis and your calls at 1-866-55-press. but first here's a good question. how much money do you need to earn each month? a little extra money to make ends meet? check out incomeathome.com. they'll help you answer that question. and help you make it. incomeathome.com, you've heard me talk about them before. america's leading work from home business. giving you an opportunity you can do no matter your age education or experience. you can literally earn money on your own computer from your own kitchen table 24/7. all you need is a little spare time. if you're sick of living paycheck to paycheck, worried about job security or retirement if your goal is to earn some extra money from home, part-time or even full time, check out incomeathome.com. they're adding my listeners in record numbers even giving away $1,000 to somebody for checking them out. you might be that lucky person. visit incomeathome.com. that's incomeathome.com. in the twitter universe, peter?

>> quick story two quick stories i wanted to mention that are good, economic news. adp which takes a look at payrolls came out with some numbers a little while ago. the private sector added 158,000 jobs in october. >> bill: that's what they say. >> that's what they say. and also some more good news. "the washington post" reporting the weekly application for unemployment benefits dropped 9,000 to a seasonally adjusted 363,000 last week which means that indicates there is in modest hiring going on. modest hiring hiring is hiring so it is positive news. >> bill: chris kofinis, two questions related. how do you account for almost every one of the tracking polls national tracking polls has this race dead even or one point romney. or one point obama. and two, on the battleground polls, the latest ones i saw from cbs last night president obama up in virginia, up in

ohio up in i think the others were tied in florida. >> it was virginia florida and ohio. >> bill: yeah, right. why the difference between them and what's going on? how do you read it? this is your last chance before election day so -- >> i think this has been one of the most frustrating elections because the polling has been so schizophrenic. >> bill: people are worried. >> between national and state. here's what i would say. listen i think the president you know, is now in a stronger position to win. that doesn't necessarily mean he will win. and the reason i qualify that is because underneath all of the polls and particular state polls are assumptions about likely voters meaning what is the turnout going to be. i can tell you looking at the demographic breakdowns, it is really simple. if minority turnout in particular amongst blacks, hispanics, young voters is not as high as some people are estimating in these polls, it is going to be very difficult for the president to win these key

battlegrounds. all right. because romney is winning the would white vote by almost historic margins. so it ends up becomening a sliding scale. if the other side is winning more, you have to win more on the other side. and so i think that is why you're seeing such differences in these polls. now i think the key thing to look for is in terms of key national polls is going into the weekend in particular, monday. if the president is at 46% 47% some of the key national polls that is a major alarm bell. for us. if he's at 48% 49% he probably is going to win. all right. that's one. and then the second thing i would look for is, you know, in terms of the key battlegrounds in particular, ohio, right virginia and florida, all right. in ohio, does that lead -- do you start seeing some of the final polls showing that race tied? if you see some of the reputable polls showing that race tied, that's also, i think a question of concern because on election

day, traditionally republicans do better than democrats. so the question now is have we banked enough of the early vote and do we do better on election day than some people expect and do we have a great turnout amongst minorities on election day? >> bill: nate silver, 538 blog says president obama has a 77% chance, when you factor in all of the polls, all of the turnout, 77% chance of winning. romney a 23% chance. do you believe it? >> no. no, i don't believe it. >> bill: you don't think his chances are that high. >> i don't believe it is that high. when you look at some of the key battlegrounds, florida virginia ohio, in particular, you're talking about small percentages. all within the statistical margin of error. and there's -- i can tell you when i talk to republicans who i trust, they believe they're in a good spot to win. now, this has never happened before. back in 2008 you talked to the other side. you knew which side was going to win. >> bill: if romney does not

win ohio -- >> it's over! it's over. i know there are mathematical ways for him to do it but i believe there will be a mini break here. i don't believe it will come to one state. i could be wrong. we'll find out. i think there will be a mini wave here one way or another. all of a sudden undecideds go break for romney. or they break for obama and say we're happy with where we're going. >> bill: obama is up by five in ohio. >> two to five is where he is right now. >> bill: if he holds ohio, it is all over for romney. >> it's done. >> bill: people of ohio. >> it is all up to them. it is only the future of the country and the world. no pressure. >> bill: don't feel a lot of pressure. >> can we send a few bionic legs to ohio to make sure they get to the polls? >> bill: maybe we can have one of the victory drives like romney did with canned drives. >> we'll ship some of the cars to china. >> bill: chris kofinis good to see you. >> thank you.

>> bill: we'll be right back with a parting shot about chris christie. my new best friend. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." o

start you morning with a daily dose of politics from a fresh perspective. >>i'm a slutty bob hope. the troops love me.

>>only on current tv. [ ♪ theme ♪ ] >> announcer: the parting shot with bill press. this is the "bill press show." >> bill: on this thursday, november 1, my parting shot for today, you know all day long, yesterday, republicans were asking what the hell happened to chris christie. why is he praising president obama and hanging out with him? the truth is chris christie is doing just what he ought to be doing, everything he can to help the people of new jersey. good for him! it is going to take a lot of help to recover and rebuild

after hurricane sandy and there's only one place that help can come from, the federal government. christie is no dummy. he knows that fema is a powerhouse under president obama. he knows that only fema has the money and the expertise needed to rebuild after hurricane sandy. he knows new jersey needs a lot of help and he knows where he can get it. from president obama and not from mitt romney. president obama believes in using the power of the federal government to help the states. mitt romney would leave the states on their own to fend for themselves. but you know what i think chris christie knows something else, too. i think he realizes that mitt romney is going nowhere in 2012 and so chris christie has his eyes on 2016 and his own run for president. he's making all of the right moves. have a great one folks. see you right back here again tomorrow.